Avarekalu (hyacinth beans or papdi lilva) curry - a versatile side dish in any meal plan

Happy Superbowl Sunday everyone :-), The fact that I am sitting here, writing my blog post clearly indicates I am not loyal to either of the teams playing the big game today and I am not such a sports fan that I watch the game for the sport itself. My love for the game is restricted to watching the local team and I am happy to stay away from the big screen otherwise. So while majority of my fellow Americans are glued infront of their TV screens cheering Broncos or Panthers, I am infront of my small screen writing to my heart's content. If you are watching the game, wishing you all a good game experience no matter which team you support!

Did you ask what I have been doing since the last post (which seems like eons ago), oh lots and many things I enjoy. Reading a bunch of books, my new favorite is Amy Tan, a Chinese American author. Finished two of her books recently, liked them both. If you haven't read any but like a good fiction, check out her Kitchen God's wife and The Hundred Secret senses, both are good, well told stories of times that are fast becoming rare. Something very relatable in her books to my South East Asian origins and acquired American sensitivities. I am also reading a couple of history books (I started enjoying the history books when my daughter started high school and would have probably learnt and enjoyed a lot more tangible history if I had these books to study during my school years instead of roting the dates and events). All in all, my bed side shelf is full and it makes me happy and contented :-). Cooking and blogging is not far away from mind but I am just letting things take their own course of action instead of forcing anything. Needless to say I will be here (and as often as I can).

The other day I was in the library browsing through the books and was standing close to the chekout/help desk in the front of the building when a conversation I heard made me smile nostalgically. It was a harried looking mom with her little girl in tow talking to the library staff at the desk. She was asking if there was any way of finding a school library book her daughter had accidentally returned to the library. I had this sudden urge to turn around and hug the little girl and tell the mom not to worry but the library staff did his job wonderfully well too. He explained that though there was no way of him picking up the book for her from the returns, all was not lost as the library periodically separated the school books or anything else that didn't have the public library seal and returned it to the rightful owners. So she had to just let the school authorities know that there would be a delay of about a week before the book found its way back to the school.

Not that the system is flawless and books won't get lost occasionally but it is pretty robust and works well. I have been that mom years back and it was not once or twice we returned the books to the wrong library as DD's room would always be FULL of books from every possible library :-). Time flies, she hardly has time to read other than her school work now, but I am sure the love for books is a strong love that continues to live deep within and she will always find the company of her books to be the best world.

I am also trying to go back to some activities that engage my hands and brain with my limited artistic abilities. I had this phase during high school and college where I would pick up some project/craft work during school breaks, didn't become proficient in any but have a few things to remind me of my temporary obsessions. I am trying to see if any of those would interest me now and keep me engaged, I will show you my work if anything turns out 'show worthy'. I am a person that gets easily bored if I am not physically and mentally active and boredom makes me a real pain for those around me :-). Oh boy the joys and pains of empty nest..

Ah the other thing that is keeping me busy is to do with movies. With the latest Star Wars movie out in December, BH finally realized that his beloved wifey had absolutely no idea who Jedi masters were and for that matter was totally ignorant of great characters such as Obi Wan Kenobi or Darth Vader. Here is what happened, when we were in Disney Land during the December holidays, I was blissfully walking around the park feeling happy with the Mickey, Minnie and such while he went into one of the stores and came back wearing a green color hat (psst, that is the problem, I had no idea it wasn't just a hat but Yoda's head) and I associate green color with Okra and Ogres and the movie Shrek having watched it multiple times with DD and was oblivious to the fact that I was offending BH when I asked him why he was wearing a ogre hat :-). He tried telling me how many people on the way from the store bowed infront of him calling him the 'great master' while I had this blank expression on my face.

That night when we returned home to the place we were staying, BH made me sit through a video of how Star Wars was made as my introduction to the mesmerizing world of Jedi, 4-LOM, C-3PO, Chewbacca, Han Solo, Jabba, Skywalker, Princess Leia .. and ofcourse the visionary George Lucas :-). He would have loved to show me all the movies right then to rid me of my ignorance but we were tired and had 2 more days of park admission purchased, so had to get to bed. Then we came back home, were busy with DD and a nephew visiting and when everybody went away to schools and we were left alone, he went and got the DVDs and we did a marathon of 3 Star Wars movies over a weekend thus successfully completing my initiation. While he now smiles with the satisfaction that the wife is no longer the ignorant ogre she once was, I am yet to recover from the after effects of Star wars. Honestly, I liked the movies (don't say it aloud because I know there are still 3 more to go and we haven't gone to the new one yet!!), it is a very futuristic story and if you stop to think when they were made initially you will be impressed with how well the movie is made. Without the animations we have today, the movies are well made and lovable and for BH they are the Harry Potter series of his daughter's generation, different story lines but the same intense fan following. I have had my Star Wars fill for a while now and like to stay away for a while. May the Force be with you all!!

Onto food matters today, it is Feb and my favorite beans would have gone out of season long back if we were in India but where I live they make their brief appearance right around this time and I wait for them to show up like the thirsty Chataka (mythical rain birds that drink nothing but the direct rain drops) birds waiting for the rains. I found one good batch while DD was here and ofcourse it went into her favorite kadubus, she doesn't even want to hear about any other recipes with avarekalu. I got some more last weekend and didn't want to make the kadubu so ended up refreshing my memory on this lip smacking side dish where the beans are the stars.

This is not a huli or sambar as there is no dal or lentil except for the beans. The spices used are close to the huli masala yet different. Nammamma always paired them up with eggplants and onions. I am surprised that there is no definite identifier for this dish as it is a cross between huli and gojju, I simply chose to call it 'curry' in honor of everyone that love Indian curries :-). Nammamma made this as a side dish for chapathi or pooris if it was tiffin time or as a dip for the Karnataka special raagi mudde which was a favorite with everyone at home. It tastes delicious mixed with steamed rice too. I love to eat it just like that from a bowl with a spoon :-)

I made this for our weekend brunch today with raagi mudde for me and methi roti for BH as he is not as good with the 'gulp'ing of mudde, still working on it :-). You can also add potatoes or replace eggplants with potatoes in this recipe. I love the eggplant, onion combination and like the texture of thinly sliced onions. Skip it if you are not a fan.

What do you need to make Avarekalu curry?
1.5 cups peeled avarekalu/papdi lilva (use frozen if you don't have the fresh)
1.5 cups cubed eggplant
1/2 (or more if you like) cup thinly chopped onion
1 key lime sized tamarind
1/4 Tsp crushed jaggery/brown sugar
1.5 Tsp salt (divided use)
1/2 Tsp poppy seeds/gasagase
2 Tbsp grated coconut
2-3 Tbsp oil (divided use)
1/2 Tsp turmeric powder
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

To roast and grind: 
1 Tbsp coriander seeds/dhania
1 Tsp chana dal
1/2 Tsp urad dal
1/4 Tsp fenugreek seeds
1/4 Tsp cumin
1 inch piece cinnamon
1-2 cloves
3-4 dry red chilies
1 Tbsp chopped onion
Seasoning: 
1 Tsp mustard
1/8 Tsp fenugreek seeds
1/8 Tsp asafoetida

How do you make Avarekalu curry? 

• If you are lucky enough to get fresh avarekalu in the pod, peel the pods and separate the beans. Remove any that do not look healthy. 
• Wash the beans a couple of times in water, add 2 cups of water and 1/4 tsp salt and pressure cook for 3 whistles. 
• The fresh beans take a little time to cook compared to frozen beans, adjust the cooking time so they are well cooked and soft but not mushy. 
• Let the pressure subside naturally. 
• Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup of water for 30 minutes and squeeze out tamarind extract, discard the pith, seeds if any. Keep the extract aside until ready to use. 
• Slice onions into thin long strips (my preference, but you can cut any which way that you like :-)) 
• Cube eggplants into bite sized pieces and keep them in cold water to avoid discoloration. 
• Heat 1 Tsp oil in a pan, add all the ingredients except onion listed under 'To roast and grind' and roast in medium to low heat until they give out a nice aroma and the dals turn golden brown. 
• Add poppy seeds, grated coconut and chopped onion, switch off the stove and let it cool down. 

• Heat a big kadai/pan with 1 Tbsp oil, add thinly sliced onions and let it cook for a minute and half. 
• Add the cubed eggplants, 1/2 tsp salt and turmeric powder. Give a good mix, cover the pan and let the eggplants cook until soft but not mushy, takes 5-6mins.

• Add the cooked beans along with the water to the pan. 
• Add tamarind extract and let them come to a boil on medium heat. 

• Grind all roasted & cooled ingredients along with a spoon of cooked beans into a smooth paste with 1/2 cup of water. Adding cooked beans gives body and thickness to the gravy. 

• Add the masala paste to the vegetables along with jaggery and let the mixture cook together for about 5 minutes. 
• Test taste and adjust salt as needed. Also add water to get the desired consistency. 

• Add chopped cilantro and continue to cook until the mixture comes to a good rolling boil.
• Heat a small pan with remaining oil, add mustard and fenugreek seeds and when they pop add asafoetida. 
• Switch off and add the seasoning to the curry. 

• Cover and let it sit for atleast 30 minutes before serving. 

Notes: 

• Another great combination with the beans is cubed potatoes. I didn't use them today. 
• I like my eggplants soft but holding their shape, it is a personal choice, so adjust the cook time accordingly. 
• Do not roast poppy seeds, coconut or onion along with the rest of the ingredients, the heat of the pan is sufficient to warm them up. 
• If you are using fresh beans and not pressure cooking, be prepared for a long cook time (atleast an hour) in open vessel. 

• It is important to salt the beans while cooking and the eggplants while they are roasted, so remember you are using salt at different points in this recipe and make sure you don't over salt it. 
• Adding jaggery brings out the other tastes in this dish and is a signature Mysorean way of cooking gravies. Skip if you do not want the extra sugar. 

Avarekalu-Menthya soppina bhaath - a single pot rice dish needing no pre-made powders

Before I forget to wish you all, Happy Sri Rama Navami to all my readers celebrating the birth of Lord Rama. By the time I got to writing this post, Ramanavami for 2015 had already slid into the past making me late again with my wishes. But as I always say, "better late than never". Hope you all had a good celebration, ours was simple with kosambari, panaka & hesaru bele payasa. Filling, very satisfying and saatvik :-).

On my not posting regularly, I won't even go there :-(.  I was thinking yesterday of making a really catchy poster to adorn my home page and say something to the effect of, "Gone missing, will be back as soon as life slows down a teeny bit" but then I thought if I have the time to think up and make up fancy posters, I might as well sit myself down and write the posts for some of the recipes that have been languishing in the draft folder for a while now. Ironically enough, I was attending a 3 day talk last weekend about life management and managing time was the topic of day-1 :-).

Here I am with a family favorite and extremely easy to cook up, one pot rice dish that brings together 2 of my favorite ingredients - fresh fenugreek leaves for its characteristic fragrance & taste and avarekalu (papdi lilva) for the love of beans :-). I have another delicious version of rice made with fenugreek leaves that uses Vangibhaath powder, check it out here if interested.

I believe I have already professed my love for avarekalu and written my ode to this humble beans many times over on the blog, here, here and here. Recently a reader from Michigan reached out to ask some questions about averekalu and I felt as glad as he did when he wrote back a week or so later to say he did find them in his local grocery store and made yummy dishes with it. It feels good to come across folks with similar tastes and I am glad my little posts spread some (avarekalu) love to others living away from home.

Nammamma made this version of the bhaath towards the end of avarekalu season when the beans would be mature and plump but not very juicy or fragrant. Back home in Mysore, the beans would first announce their arrive with that very distinct fragrance and as soon you picked them, your hands would undoubtedly be coated with a thin layer of sticky substance (we called it 'sone' in kannada, not sure if it has a name in other languages) which was all part of the avarekalu experience. Adding methi or fenugreek leaves perfectly complements the flavor in this rice. I made this rice recently knowing fully well that my few weeks of avarekalu enjoyment was coming to an end here.

This dish does not need any pre-made spice powders and is very easy to prepare. It has carbs(rice), protiens (beans), nutrients & flavor (fenugreek leaves) and hence makes a perfectly wholesome meal. This can be done in a single vessel from start to end - less cleaning, less wastage and environment friendly :-)

What do you need to make averekalu-menthya bhaath? 
2 packed cups of fresh fenugreen leaves
1-1.5 cups avarekalu (Papdi lilva)
2 cups rice (use sona masoori preferably)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 Tsp cumin
1 inch piece of ginger
1 inch piece of cinnamon
2 cloves
4-6 black pepper corns
3-4 green chilies (adjust to taste)
1/2 cup coconut (fresh or frozen)
1 Tsp salt (Adjust to taste)
2 Tbsp oil

How do you make averekalu-menthya soppina bhaath?

• Chop washed fenugreek leaves. 
• Wash and soak rice for about 20 minutes (this speeds up the cooking process)
• Take a heavy bottom pan (or pressure cooker) and heat it on medium heat. 
• Add cinnamon, black pepper & cloves and roast for about a minute until they warm up and become fragrant. Take them aside and let cool. 
• Make a rough powder of the spices when cool, add ginger, green chilies and coconut to the blender jar, use 1/4 cup water and grind into a fine mixture. 
• Add 1 tbsp oil into the pan (or cooker) and let it heat up. 
• Add cumin and when it sizzles, add chopped onion and let it sweat lightly.
• Add chopped fenugreek leaves and fry until they wilt, 2-3 minutes. 
• Add the averekalu (or other beans you choose) to the pan and mix it with the fenugreek leaves. 
• Add salt and mix them together. 
• Add the ground masala mixture and let it cook for just a minute. 

• Taste and adjust salt if needed. 
• Drain all the water from the soaked rice and add it to the pan. 
• I use 1:2 (rice:water) ratio for making these rice preparations, and add 3 & 3/4 cup (discount 1/4 cup used for grinding) water into the pan. 
• Let it come to a boil. 

• Close the pressure pan with the weight and cook it for 3 whistles. 
• If you like to open cook, reduce heat to low, cover the pan and cook until rice is soft. 
• Let it stand until it is warm. 

• Fluff it gently with a spoon, and serve it warm with any kind chips, fryums or yogurt based raita. 

Notes: 

• You can precook rice (make sure you use the right amount of water to get fluffy rice) and mix the rest of the ingredients, I think the flavor is more enhanced when you cook them all together. 
• If you don't get avarekalu, replace it with mutter or green peas, frozen lima beans or other beans you prefer. 
• The spice comes from the black pepper, ginger & green chilies - adjust them to your liking. 

Akki Rotti - Mother's day Special

Updated on 8/31/12: I got some pictures of the avarekalu akki rotti from Akka's kitchen, thanks to GAC who remembered to click at the right time and send it over. 

A Very Happy Mother's day to all of you mothers out there.  Hope you had(ve) a wonderful day with your loved ones. 

Personally, I do not celebrate 'the' days so much as I believe the thoughts and sentiments expressed on 'the' day should be part of every day, but I do find it beautiful that people actually celebrate and find so many ways to share love and joy on the designated days.

As with everyone else, my mother is special and I love her dearly, there are so many things I remember fondly about nammamma now that I am away from the home I grew up in. I constantly think back on what she would have done in situations where my mommy skills are needed as she is my benchmark for mommying. Considering how I turned out, she did a pretty good job :-). With all the ups and downs she has gone through in life, she is a pillar of strength for us and a reminder that we can get through life with its umpteen turns and twists.

I got lucky a second time when I got married as my other amma turned out to be just as dear as nammamma. I sometimes tell BH that she made me miss all the fun I could have had with my friends complaining about my MIL if only she had been more like a mother in law and less like another mom to me :-). She is an image of dedication and extreme patience and boundless love where her family is concerned.

My other mother is a sister, best friend and mother rolled into one. When I was a little girl, she took care of me as a mom and as I grew up we became best friends. She continues to be that listener and eternal source of practical advice for me. She does not love cooking like I do but when she goes to the kitchen and makes something, you will think she is one of the best cooks ever, and I believe it is only because she gives her best whether she is delivering a baby or making uppittu in the kitchen.

I had a wonderful mother's day with thoughtful gestures from DD and BH and we are ready to call it a day in anticipation of next week. As a mother's day special recipe, here is my akka's famous avarekalu akki rotti - rice flour rotis patted into shape and made special by mixing in cooked avarekalu. I have this every single time I go back to visit home, she has two very old, battered pans specially for akki rottis and they just turn the rottis soft yet crispy and tastier than any I have eaten. There are many variations of akki rotti - each equally yummy but the one with avarekalu is a delicacy from Avarekalu loving regions of Karnataka. Try this and I guarantee you will fall in love with this version of the akki rotti.

What do you need to make Avarekalu akki rotti? 
1 cup cooked avarekalu
2 cups rice flour
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 Tsp finely chopped green chilies
1/2 cup grated coconut - fresh or frozen
1 Tblsp salt (adjust to taste)
1 Tsp cumin seeds
2 Tblsp chopped colantro
Water to make a soft dough
2 Tblsp of cooking oil

How do you make Avarekalu akki rotti? 

• Cook the avarekalu till soft and let it cool. 
• Add all the ingredients except for water in a wide bowl and mix it in.
• Add water (you can use the water used to cook avarekalu) slowly and mix the ingredients into a semi firm dough - it should be easy to pat on a flat surface. 

• Take an aluminium foil and put an orange sized dough in the center and make it into a thin (1/2 MM) circle by patting it with your fore fingers. Dip your fingers in cold water to help the patting process. 

• Heat a flat tawa/pan on medium heat, drizzle a few drops of oil on the tawa and put the aluminium foil on top with rotti facing down. 
• Let it cook for a couple of minutes and you can remove the foil easily from the top. 
• Drizzle oil on top of the rotti and let it cook until golden brown and crisp. 

• Flip the rotti and cook a couple of minutes on the other side too. 

• Remove it onto a plate, top it with ghee for additional flavor and serve it with pickles, chutney or yogurt. 

Notes: 

• Back home, akka and nammamma both have what is called as Bandle or a deep circular pan and rotti made in this bandle is more popular than the flat variety. Since I do not have a bandle and my stove is not compatible for a non flat bottom pan, I pat my rottis on the aluminium foil before transferring it to the pan. 

This is an updated picture from my akka's kitchen and that is the old bandle that has been in her family for years now.

• If you have access to fresh banana leaves, pat the rottis on a washed and pat dried banana leaf for a flavorful rotti. 
• If you do not have fresh avarekalu handy, don't fret, use the frozen stuff (called papdi lilva). 
• Do not skimp on the amount of coconut in this recipe. 

I didn't want to make this post personal but I guess I failed at it, but then mothers are personal. I leave you with a funny exchange about a mom with a second grader, enjoy..

Q: What kind of a little girl was your mom? 

A1: My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff. 

A2: I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be 'pretty bossy'

A3: They say she used to be nice.

Avarekalu (papdi lilva) saaru and a dive into memory lane

Like I haven't professed my love for this bean enough on the blog, here I go again with another round of avarekayi related rant. Yes, I found these personal favorite bean again at my grocery store. I don't remember seeing avarekayi in India during April, the season is long gone and this is a winter bean by definition. But here I am with my fresh avarekayis, peeled and ready to go. For any one interested, it was labelled 'desi papdi' in the store.

As I was checking out yesterday, the lady at the counter looked at me and said 'are you sure you want to buy this, it is coming to $19', I looked straight back at her and said 'yes', I know it is a splurge but may be I won't buy that new summer dress after all - LOL. It is not about the bean but is about reliving those moments again, remembering the laughter, love in the cozy house with siblings and parents years back. As I was peeling them last evening, I kept playing the scenes from childhood in my mind.

Avarekayi as I remember was a favorite among cows and buffaloes also :-), not that they cooked the delicious dishes at home but were treated to a bounty of the peels at every street corner during the season.  Anna would be walking inside the compound wall and telling us to bring the peels to feed the cow that somehow miraculously would be standing every time we got avarekayis home, and he wouldn't allow us to throw the peels anywhere on the street, it had to be on top of a clean, shiny, flat stone that the cows would be able to lick. He would sit there, watching them and sometimes stroking their neck as they ate those fragrant peels.

Though my cooking is primarily with ingredients I find locally, creating and transferring those memories for my daughter is important for me. When I make a good saaru(rasam) from it which almost tastes like the one nammamma makes and when my daughter slurps it down looking at me with the same expression I had as a young girl, it is priceless, I will go back and pay $19 every time I see it in the grocery store isle.

Have you seen the popular Mastercard advertisement? below is based on it :-)
Price of 3 pounds avarekayi - $19
Price of gasoline for the grocery shopping $4
Price of eating avarekalu saaru with family - priceless :-)

True, there are some things money can't buy, just tuck in a memory to give you company of those cherished things forever. If you haven't noticed, time just flies.

Since I got a big bag of avarekalus this time, I used it in multiple dishes. See a yummy avarekalu kadubu recipe here. Today, I have for you a delicious saaru(rasam) with avarekalu from nammamma's kitchen.

What do you need to make Avarekalu saaru?
2 cups peeled avarekalu
water
3-4 curry leaves

For Saaru masala:
2 Tblsp coconut (fresh/frozen)
1 Tsp chana dal/kadle bele
3/4 Tsp coriander seeds
1 Tsp poppy seeds/khus khus/gasagase
5-6 dry red chilies
2 inch piece of cinnamon
1 Tsp cumin seeds
1 small lime sized tamarind soaked in water for 20 minutes/1 Tsp of tamarind concentrate
1 Tsp cooking oil
1 Tblsp salt (adjust to taste)
2 Tsp chopped onions

How do you make Avarekalu saaru? 

• Wash the avarekalu and boil it till tender with salt.
• Heat oil in a pan, add the ingredients under saaru masala except for coconut, tamarind and onion on medium heat until you get a nice aroma from the fried cinnamon and other spices (3-4 minutes). 
• Let the masala come to room temperature. 

• Grind the fried masala ingredients with coconut, raw onion, tamarind and 1Tblsp of cooked avarekalu.
• Use about 1/2 cup of water to get a smooth paste of the masala. 
• Add the ground paste to cooked beans, adjust water to a slightly thick pouring consistency and boil it for a good 8-10 minutes. 
• Taste and adjust salt or tamarind. 
• Tear the curry leaves in half and drop it into the boiling saaru. 
• Switch off and serve it with rice, roti or just drink it straight from a cup chewing the avarekalu with every sip. 

Notes: 

• Use about 2 cups of water to boil avarekalu. 
• Adding boiled beans to the masala brings thickness to the saaru and also helps form a homogeneous mixture. 
• Boil the saaru well to remove the raw smell of onion, but do not replace with fried onion in this recipe :-)
• We prefer the saaru to be a little spicy, adjust the red chilies according to your taste. If when you taste the saaru, you find it lacking punch, add red chili powder to spice it up. 
• Notice that this saaru does not have the usual seasoning/vaggarane as it is already very flavorful. Use raw curry leaves while boiling the saaru to enhance flavor.
• Beans being heavy, settles at the bottom of your dish, make sure you mix it before serving or someone might just not get their share of the avarekalu :-)

Mysore Special - Avarekalu Kadubu

If you happen to be from Mysore like me, winter months always bring back memories of fresh Avarekayi (Surti Papdi/surti lilva), this is a kind of beans rich in its fragrance and creates a love me or hate me reaction instantly :-). You peel the avarekayi to get the avarekalu and discard the peels, cows love to eat this and I am sure they get enough of it during the season with every house feeding them the peels.

In our family, we just love avarekayi and the 2-3 months long season creates varieties of avarekayi recipes. I remember riding my 2 wheeler in Mysore to KG Koppal to bring fresh avarekayi in the morning. Early morning, Mysore winter, the dew drops on your nose and cold hands.... Amma would make a different avarekalu dish every day and we would never tire of it.

Since this is a good winter month here and I found fresh avarekayi in the local Indian grocery, I immediately set out to do a family favorite - Avarekalu kadubu.

This is a blended taste with enough sweet, salt and pepper to awaken your taste buds and easy to prepare recipe.

What do you need to make Avarekalu Kadubu?
2 cups of avarekalu (use frozen packs you get in Indian grocery stores but the taste is not the same :-( )
2 cups of Idli rava
1 Tblsp pepper corns
1 Tblsp cumin seeds
3 Tblsp of grated fresh/frozen coconut
2.5 cups of water
2 Tsp of ghee (clarified butter)
3 Tblsp of crushed jaggery/brown sugar
4-5 curry leaves - chopped fine
salt to taste

How do you make Avarekalu kadubu? 

1. Dry roast idli rava on medium heat until it is slightly golden brown for about 8 mins with frequent stirring
2. In the meantime, put the avarekalu with 2 cups of water and salt in a pressure cooker and cook it for 2 whistles 
3. Prepare pepper and cumin seeds by roughly powdering them either in a mortar & pestle or in a coffee grinder, take care not to fine powder them 
4. Heat the ghee on medium heat in a heavy bottom pan and add the pepper & cumin to it, stir it for half a minute
5. Add the curry leaves and cook for half a minute
6. Add the roasted idli rava, crushed jaggery/brown sugar, grated coconut and mix it all in 
7. Once the pressure is off from the cooker, drain the avarekalu (keep the water) and mix it into the rava pan
8. At this stage, I would recommend tasting it for salt, spice or jaggery since this is the only chance you get to make sure the taste is perfect
9. Reduce the heat and slowly add the water to the rava mixture constantly stirring to avoid any lumps
10. Cover and cook this for 8-10 minutes until the rava is cooked and water is absorbed
11. This looks very much like upma/uppittu at this stage
12. Switch off your stove and let the mixture stand for a few minutes.

Fresh avarekalu with water & salt, getting ready to be cooked in the cooker

Kadubu making:

1. Take a bowl of cold water to dip your hands in as the mixture will be hot
2. Now take a big lemon sized mixture into your wet hands and shape it like a 3-dimensional disc (see picture).
3. Finish your cooked mixture by making it all into the discs.
4. Put these discs into your idli stand or regular pressure cooker pans and steam it like idlis (without the weight) for 15 minutes.
5. Delicious Kadubus are ready to eat

Enjoy your kadubus, Wishing every one a Happy 2012!

How do you serve Avarekalu kadubu?

1. Serve it with a dab of ghee on top
2. You can make coconut chutney as a side but since the kadubu has a blended taste it can be very easily eaten by itself :-)

Tips:

1. When you make the kadubus, the mixture should be still hot. Make sure you dip your hands in cold water as you do this to avoid any burns.
2. You can cook avarekalu in microwave or on stove top, but this takes longer, the beans need to be soft to touch when cooked